'anole' originates from French/Spanish, specifically the word 'anoli', where the term reflected a local Caribbean name for the lizard.

'anole' changed from French/Spanish 'anoli' (recorded in early modern sources) and was adopted into English as 'anole', used to refer to lizards of the genus Anolis.

Initially it referred to a local name for a lizard species in the Caribbean region; over time it became the general English name for lizards of the genus Anolis.